Improve your calf health and growth potential with Calf Tracker
The Penbode Farm Vets VetTech service is now well established and many farmers appreciate their assistance and advice. Our VetTechs are able to work closely with you and the vets to help to improve your calf health and growth potential via the Calf Tracker service.
How it works
A VetTech will come to your farm and collect the measurements/information required to find out how your youngstock are doing, enabling us together with your vet to discuss any improvements you would like to see.
The calf tracker service is £30 per visit - regardless of how many pre-weaned calves you have!!
Farmers using our calf monitoring programme have found the benefits include ensuring their youngstock reach their potential (giving dairy and beef calves the best start in life) at the most important stage in their development. Damaging a calves immune system at a young age with poor health such as scours can influence profitability and potential for the rest of its life.
The five steps of our calf monitoring programme:
1. Weighing
At each farm visit, a VetTech will weigh all pre-weaned calves to provide a growth rate pattern. We are able to analyse this and create a report which we can discuss after each visit with your routine vet in order to recommend any necessary action if required.
2. Assessment of colostrum delivery
Blood samples are taken from all calves under one week of age for total protein measurement. This assesses the success of colostral transfer.
3. Disease
A disease log of all pre-weaned calves is also taken at every visit. Diseases recorded include pneumonia, navel ill and scours. If you’re experiencing any of these issues, samples can be collected at the visit and tested on farm for Ecoli, Rotavirus, Coronavirus and Cryptosporidum. Testing for Coccidiosis, if needed, can be done back at the surgery on the same day. Further disease analysis can be carried out on samples collected by us by an external lab, if a vet feels this would be necessary. All results will be given to a vet for diagnosing and reporting, so that a treatment and prevention plan can be put in place. (please note lab fees are not included).
4. Frequency
This is based on your farm’s needs and calving pattern. Monthly visits are usually adequate for all year calving herds, however some seasonal calving herds may require weekly or fortnightly visits.
5. Reporting
After the visit the VetTech enters the data into a specific Calf Tracker calf management programme, enabling us to monitor the calves’ growth and disease patterns. We then share this with you and your vet, so any veterinary advice required can also be discussed.
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